Rikku (Final Fantasy)
Rikku is an Al Bhed girl who is a playable character in both Final Fantasy X, and its direct sequel, Final Fantasy X-2. In Final Fantasy X, Rikku is the first friend Tidus makes in Spira, and she becomes Yuna's final guardian on her pilgrimage. In Final Fantasy X-2, Rikku convinces Yuna to become a sphere hunter, and accompanies her on her personal quest. Involvement Final Fantasy X During Rikku's childhood a machina went on a rampage and her mother was killed. Rikku was attacked by a fiend while playing on the beach and Brother aimed a Thunder spell at the fiend to fend it off, but the spell missed and hit Rikku instead, leaving her with a fear of thunder. After Tidus is ambushed by a fiend in the Underwater Ruins, he is rescued by a group of Al Bhed led by Rikku. While the others believe him to be a fiend in human form, Rikku objects to killing Tidus and instead knocks him out so he can be taken to the Al Bhed Salvage Ship. As the bilingual member of the group, Rikku enlists Tidus in reactivating an underwater power plant to salvage a sunken airship. Striking up a friendship and surprised by his claims of hailing from Zanarkand, Rikku promises to take him to Luca so he can find someone he knows. The two are separated when Sin attacks the ship and Tidus is washed overboard. Tidus drifts to Besaid and ends up joining Yuna on her pilgrimage. When Yuna's group crosses the Moonflow Rikku pilots an underwater machina to kidnap her and stop her pilgrimage, but Tidus and Wakka dive in after her and save Yuna by destroying Rikku's machina. Ejecting from the damaged machina, Rikku washes ashore and Tidus finds her. Rikku discards her Al Bhed uniform to move about incognito and joins Yuna's pilgrimage as her final guardian. While the others know of her heritage, Rikku's status as an Al Bhed is concealed from Wakka, who does not approve of the Al Bhed for personal reasons. Though she enjoys the hospitality at Guadosalam, Rikku stays out of the Farplane while the others go for a visit, saying that the images of the dead Farplane conjures for its visitors are mere memories, and she prefers keeping her memories to herself. Rikku's astraphobia is revealed while the group cross the Thunder Plains, pleading with the others to rest at the nearby Rin's Travel Agency. Auron's harshness causes an upset Rikku to momentarily overcome her fear by the time they reach Macalania Woods. On the way to Macalania Temple Rikku defends Yuna from her brother when he attempts to kidnap her and when she tells him she will protect Yuna using her native tongue, Rikku finds herself insulted by a shocked Wakka. She retorts by telling him to think for himself for once without Yu Yevon's influence, and show proof of his claims that her people are to blame for Sin. If Tidus rides a machina sled with Rikku to Macalania Temple, she reveals she is Yuna's cousin and articulates in a roundabout way that Yuna will die if she continues her pilgrimage, but Tidus is oblivious. At Macalania Temple, a guard, disbelieving an Al Bhed could be a guardian to a summoner, denies Rikku entry until Auron comes to her defense. After the group confront Seymour Guado for his role in murdering his father, Jyscal Guado, which escalates into a battle that kills Seymour, they are pursued by the Guado and fall to the bottom of the frozen Lake Macalania where they encounter Sin that whisks them away. The party regroup on Bikanel Island but cannot find Yuna. Rikku leads the others to the Al Bhed Home that is under attack by the Guado. They locate Rikku's father, Cid, and Rikku reveals to an unaware Tidus that Yuna will die if she performs the Final Summoning. They escape on the airship the Al Bhed had restored from the salvage operation Tidus participated briefly in. At Bevelle, the party drops in on Yuna's forced wedding ceremony to the now-unsent Seymour but are forced to watch it continue while held at gunpoint. After Yuna escapes on Valefor, Rikku tosses a flash bomb to blind Seymour and the warrior monks so that the group can retreat into Bevelle Temple. After Won Kinoc holds them up, Rikku tries to warn Tidus not to exit the Chamber of the Fayth with Yuna, but it is too late, and they are arrested and held on trial for treason. Rikku is thrown into the Via Purifico with Tidus and Wakka but they escape from the dungeon's monster and reunite with Yuna and the others. On Bevelle's Highbridge, Seymour transforms into Seymour Natus and confronts the group. They defeat him and flee to the Macalania Woods where Rikku hopes Yuna would quit her pilgrimage now that they know the truth about Yevon's corrupt ways, and although Yuna is set on continuing Rikku and Tidus decide to come up with a way to save her. During the group's climb up Mt. Gagazet to the Zanarkand Ruins, Rikku becomes increasingly distraught over Yuna's impending fate and pleads with her not to go through with it. Yuna comforts Rikku and thanks her for her help, but Rikku refuses to accept Yuna's choice. Within the Zanarkand Dome, the party learns of the Final Summoning's true nature as a continuation of Sin, and Rikku is overjoyed when Yuna rejects it as a false rite. The party decides to fight Sin via other means and Rikku tells Shelinda to spread word of the plan to pacify Sin by using the "Hymn of the Fayth". They fly the airship into the calmed Sin and traverse its innards to reach the core. After Wakka makes his peace with her people, Rikku joins the others in defeating Jecht in his Final Aeon form to destroy Yu Yevon. As Yuna sends her aeons, Auron dissolves into pyreflies and departs for the Farplane. With Yu Yevon no more Sin, the fayth, the aeons, and Tidus begin to fade. The party returns to the airship and Tidus says his goodbyes to everyone, but Rikku does not accept his departure, saying they will meet again. Some time later, Rikku is present with Lulu, Wakka, and Kimahri as Yuna delivers a speech in Luca Stadium to announce the onset of the Eternal Calm. Eternal Calm In the two years that have passed since Sin's destruction, Rikku has traveled all over Spira salvaging machina and teaching people how to use them. She has overcome her fear of thunder by camping out in the Thunder Plains. Rikku and Brother have fallen out with Cid and have founded the Gullwings, an Al Bhed sphere hunting group based on their airship, the Celsius, with the help of Brother's friends, Buddy and Shinra. They are eventually joined by a young woman named Paine. One day, Rikku rushes to Besaid on an Al Bhed ship to show Yuna a sphere Kimahri found on Mt. Gagazet displaying an imprisoned man resembling Tidus. Rikku invites Yuna to accompany her to Kimahri to learn more about the sphere, but Wakka says Yuna is too busy with visitors. Rikku argues that Yuna should embrace her new lease on life and after Yuna decides to journey again, Rikku reveals she brought new clothes for her to go "incognito". At Yuna's insistence, they leave Besaid immediately and embark on a new adventure. Final Fantasy X-2 The Gullwings gain a rivalry with the Leblanc Syndicate, another sphere hunting group, led by Leblanc. One day, Leblanc steals Yuna's Garment Grid and performs a concert in Luca while posing as Yuna. Rikku and Paine crash the concert while Yuna dons a moogle costume to keep a low profile. Rikku and Paine chase Leblanc out to the docks and Yuna joins the fray and reclaims her Garment Grid. The Gullwings explore the recently discovered Floating Ruins at the peak of Mt. Gagazet and claim the treasure sphere that contains images of Zanarkand. At the Zanarkand Ruins they find half a sphere. The Gullwings travel throughout Spira and encounter many old and new friends, including the three most influential Spirans: Youth League leader Nooj, New Yevon Praetor Baralai, and Gippal, leader of the Machine Faction. Gippal, a ladies' man and an old friend of Rikku's, embarrasses her with a crack about the two of them having "made quite the couple". News spreads about an "awesome sphere" found in Kilika, which draws the attention of both the Youth League and New Yevon. The Gullwings seize the sphere whose footage displays the mysterious man who resembles Tidus standing before a large weapon, mentioning someone named Lenne. The awesome sphere is returned to either the Youth League or New Yevon, and it is learned from Nooj or Baralai the colossal weapon is called Vegnagun. Leblanc broke into the airship and stole the Gullwings' broken sphere from the Zanarkand Ruins, and in Leblanc's headquarters, Chateau Leblanc, the girls discover Leblanc already had the other half and stole their half to make it whole. After watching the restored sphere it is learned Vegnagun lies hidden underneath Bevelle. Forming a truce with the Leblanc Syndicate, the sphere hunters enter the underground passage under Bevelle formed after the fayth's disappearance and find a secret complex filled with machina. When YRP reach Vegnagun's lair they face an antagonistic Bahamut and the girls are forced to fight it. Vegnagun is gone and a large hole is left in its place. Fiends pour out of the temples, and Nooj, Baralai, and Gippal go missing. After defeating a possessed Ixion in Djose Temple its surprise death blow attack sends Yuna falling down the hole in the former Chamber of the Fayth and into the Farplane. Rikku, Paine, and the others soon hear from Yuna again when she emerges in the Bevelle Underground. Back on the Celsius, Yuna tells everyone about Shuyin and Lenne who lived during the times of the Machina War a thousand years ago, and Lenne's spirit coalesced into a sphere, which the Gullwings now use as the Songstress dressphere. After learning about Shuyin and Lenne from Maechen after Yuna's 1000 Words concert, Rikku pities Shuyin, as two years ago, she, too, went to great lengths to try and save Yuna from a tragic fate. Now knowing the holes in the temples lead to the Farplane, Yuna plans talking to Shuyin and tell him how Lenne felt. Rikku feels that people are always leaving her behind, but Yuna thanks her for "kidnapping" her and letting her join the Gullwings. YRP descend into the depths of the Farplane in search of Shuyin and Vegnagun. After destroying Vegnagun and defeating Shuyin, Lenne's spirit puts Shuyin's hatred to rest and they return to the Farplane together. The Gullwings leave Spira's leaders at Luca and ride the Celsius to Besaid where Yuna reunites with a revived Tidus. Final Fantasy X-2.5 After Yuna and Tidus reunite on the Besaid shore, everyone returns to Besaid Village for a celebration. Rikku talks with Tidus and notes he hasn't changed a bit before introducing him to Paine. When Tidus's concentration begins to falter mid-conversation and he begins making glances for Yuna who is still busy at the temple, Rikku takes back her claim and says Tidus has changed. She notes that although he looks the same, he is not the same lighthearted Tidus he was two years ago. Last Mission Over the next three months the Gullwings have gone their separate ways. Each girl receives a letter that calls the trio back together at Luca to explore the recently discovered Iutycyr Tower. While climbing the tower, Rikku talks about working on missions and relays the status of their other friends throughout Spira. After Yuna refuses to help Rikku out, Rikku claims Yuna doesn't want to see her anymore, but Yuna says it is not true. Paine wants to tell them something but Rikku and Yuna don't pry. When Paine asks Rikku what she wants to do with her life she is unable to think of an answer and expresses jealousy towards Yuna for settling down, something Rikku feels she's unable to do. She says Yuna is wasting her life but Yuna says Rikku is only fooling herself by always keeping busy. Paine reveals sent the letters because she felt something was amiss as she traveled Spira by herself after they split up. Later, the girls learn that they have changed and fear growing further apart as long as they're together. Yuna believes they had gotten along before because they had to work together and that they probably never got along to begin with. Atop the tower the group finds a broken-down machina and realize that during their time apart, they had become different people. They decide to go their separate ways but to always cherish the memories of their time together. With their friendship renewed, the machina springs to life and their adventures continue. Killed Victims *Countless Creatures *Yo Mika (Indirectly Caused) *Kelk Ronso (Indirectly Caused) *Yenke Ronso (Indirectly Caused) *Biran Ronso (Indirectly Caused) *Seymour Guado *Yunalesca (Alongside fellow guardians) *Jecht (Alongside fellow guardians) *Yu Yevon (Alongside fellow guardians) *Sin (Alongside fellow guardians) *Vegnagun (Alongside YRP,Leblanc Syndicate, Nooj & Gippal) *Shuyin (Unsent, Caused) Allies *Tidus *Lulu *Kimahri Ronso *Auron *Wakka *Yuna *Paine *Brother *Buddy *Shinra *Cid *Kelk Ronso *Dona *Barthello *Nooj *Baralai *Gippal *Lian Ronso *Ayde Ronso *Shelinda Enemies *Seymour Guado *Jecht *Yu Yevon *Yunalesca *Sin *Yo Mika *Leblanc *Logos *Ormi *Vegnagun *Shuyin *Garik Appearances *Final Fantasy X **Eternal Calm *Final Fantasy X-2 **Final Fantasy X-2.5 **Last Mission Category:Female Category:Humans Category:Al Bhed Category:Final Fantasy Characters Category:Final Fantasy X Category:Final Fantasy X-2 Category:Final Fantasy X Playable Characters Category:Final Fantasy X-2.5 Category:Final Fantasy X-2 Playable Characters Category:The Eternal Calm Category:Alive Category:Blonde Hair Category:Green Eyes Category:Yuna's Guardians Category:Last Mission Characters Category:Protagonist Category:Sphere Hunters